Newsom Sets Environmentally Friendly Policies
Political Desk
August 12, 2005
NEWSOM ISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDERS SETTING AMBITIOUS GOALS FOR MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY POLICIESNew guidelines call for the purchase of more alternative energy vehicles and unprecedented green building and energy conservation standards in city government.
San Francisco, CA - Mayor Gavin Newsom issued three executive orders today, setting new ambitious goals for the city’s environmental policy. These guidelines establish new green building standards, require city departments to more ambitiously pursue alternative fuel vehicles, and aim to reduce energy use by aggressive new targets. The Mayoral orders, issued to every department head, set San Francisco on course to continue its tradition of environmental leadership.
Environmental stewardship begins at home,” Newsom explained. “In the wake of the successful UN World Environment Day — which helped San Franciscans think globally — we need to move more aggressively to act locally to save the environment.” Newsom continued, “San Francisco government has long been a leader in advancing innovative environmental policy, and this year has been marked by number of achievements in this area.”
The three Executive Orders set aggressive goals for the city government:
- Require that 75% of the City’s purchases of non-emergency passenger automobile fleet are comprised of alternative fuel vehicles. Furthermore, 90% of the non-emergency passenger automobile fleet should be comprised of either alternative fuel vehicles or high efficiency vehicles.
- Require that city departments redouble their efforts toward energy conservation and efficiency over the next several months to reduce their energy consumption to levels achieved during the energy crisis. The City’s adopted Electricity Resource Plan sets a goal of 10 percent reduction in municipal energy keep by 2012. Department Directors should also identify a member of their staff to oversee energy conservation tasks and prepare a report on their department’s energy conservation initiatives by September 30, 2005.
- Require that relevant departments participate in new green building training sessions so that the City can fully comply with its adopted green building ordinance. The ordinance mandates that municipal building projects must meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s rating of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver. Attending the green building trainings will assist departments in achieving a high level of environmental performance for all new city buildings, major renovations and additions.
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